Former Prince Albert rugby player dies while defending Ukraine

A man who once played rugby in Prince Albert has died while serving his home country of Ukraine.

Late Monday night, news broke that Grygorii Tsekhmistrenko died sometime between the night of Saturday and the early hours of Sunday in Bakhmut, Ukraine.

According to a statement posted by the Saskatoon Wild Oats and the Prince Albert Whiskey Jacks, Tsekhmistrenko was part of the conflict in Crimea and wasted no time in returning to defend his country again in January of 2022.

“Greg was truly selfless and going home was a shining example of him living his life putting others’ needs before his own,” the Wild Oats said in a statement on Facebook.

Some of his former teammates in Saskatoon and Prince Albert shared their fondest memories of Tsekhmistrenko on social media.

“Never heard him say a bad thing about anyone,” said one teammate. “Truly a kind soul. Not many people like him in the world.”

“He just loved life and was kind to everyone,” another friend remarked. “He could have been big and scary, but he was just a sweetheart of a guy.”